Adding Strength, Color, and Finish to 3D Printed Objects

ABSTRACT

A method comprises steps for (a) printing a 3D object using a 3D printer, the 3D object comprising a surface having one or both of one or more raised artifacts and one or more instances of raised text; and (b) printing an overlay to the surface with a printer using UV-curable ink and curing the ink with ultraviolet light, providing thereby one or more of increased strength, improved texture, and enhanced color effects or the 3D object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/945,040, filed on Feb. 26, 2014, the disclosureof which is hereby incorporated in its entirety at least by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the technical field of 3D printed objects.More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for addingstrength, color, and finish to 3D printed objects.

2. Description of Related Art

In the art of 3D printing many different techniques and processes of 3Dprinting are available, as well as different 3D printing materials. Oneproblem and disadvantage with existing 3D printing processes is strengthof the 3D printed object.

One known 3D printing method includes printing 3D objects using asandstone material and a Z-Corp™ 3D printer. However, a sandstone 3Dprinted object is very brittle and unable to withstand the stress ofgeneral use and everyday handling.

Another known 3D printing method includes printing 3D objects using apaper material and a MCOR™ 3D printer. Likewise, a paper 3D printedobject has many similar disadvantages, including brittleness and subjectto damage during the stress, wear, and tear of everyday use andhandling.

Another limitation and disadvantage with known 3D printing methodsincludes the inability to provide a full-color finish. For instance,other known 3D printing processes such as selective laser sintering(SLS) and Stereolithography (SLA), provide 3D objects that are durablefor everyday handling, but fail to provide a full-color finish.Painting, dyeing, and other known color techniques are not unsuccessful.

Another disadvantage to the aforementioned 3D printing methods is thatthe texture of the 3D printed object is typically limited to the textureof the material used, consequently, there is a need for a 3D printingmethod for adding strength, color, and finish to 3D printed objects.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention a method is provided,comprising steps (a) printing a 3D object using a 3D printer, the 3Dobject comprising a surface having one or both of one or more raisedartifacts and one or more instances of raised text; and (b) printing anoverlay to the surface with a printer using UV-curable ink and curingthe ink with ultraviolet light, providing thereby one or more ofincreased strength, improved texture, and enhanced color effects or the3D object.

In one embodiment, in step (a), the surface includes a plurality ofraised artifacts and a plurality of instances of raised text. In oneembodiment, in step (a), the 3D object is formed from anultraviolet-curable polymer, paper, or sandstone. Also in oneembodiment, in step (b), the overlay is printed using an inkjet printer.Still in one embodiment, in step (b) color images are added to thesurface. Also in one embodiment there is further a step wherein a filefor driving the 3D printer to produce the 3D object is created by a userthrough an interactive interface to a CAD program, and a file to drivethe printer using UV-curable ink is derived from the first file.

In one embodiment the CAD program and interactive interface is providedthrough a web page. Further in one embodiment the CAD program providesaccess to libraries enabling users to select 3D objects to print, clipart to be added to the 3D object, text tools to add text to the 3Dobject and color tools to add color and color images to the 3D object.Still in one embodiment the users are enabled to download a first fileto drive a 3D printer to create the 3D object, and a second file derivedfrom the first file to print the overlay on the printed 3D object.

In another aspect of the invention a system is provided, comprising acomputerized appliance having a processor and coupled to a datarepository, the processor executing software from a non-transitorymedium, the software providing an interactive interface to a designprogram, the design program enabling a user to, select from storage anindividual one of a plurality of objects that may be printed on a 3Dprinter; select text to add to the 3D object and add the text to theobject; select artifacts to add to surfaces of the 3D object, and addthe artifacts to the object, enhance surfaces of the 3D object withcolor and images; create a first file to run a 3D printer to print the3D object; create a second file to run a printer with UV-curable ink tooverlay the 3D object with color and images; and download the two files.

In one embodiment the system comprises a 3D printer and an inkjetprinter, wherein the user downloads the two files, sends the first to a3D printer creating the 3D object, mounts the created 3D object in thesecond printer, and sends the second file to the second printerproviding a UV-curable overlay to the 3D printed object, the overlayfile then cured by UV light, providing one or more of enhanced strength,enhanced texture, and color and images to the 3D object. Also in oneembodiment the computerized appliance is an Internet-connected applianceproviding a web page enabling users to access and use the designprogram.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an object that may be 3D printed, and isrepresentative of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer network according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating steps to create a 3D printedobject according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 a is a perspective view of the 3D printed object of FIG. 1according to prior art.

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of the 3D printed object of FIG. 4 aafter a derived overlay printer file is applied and printed according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 c is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 4c-4 c ofFIG. 4 b.

FIG. 5 is an architectural diagram of an Internet computer networksystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an object 101 that may be 3D printedaccording to prior art. Referring to FIG. 1, the 3D printed object 101has a desired length, width, and thickness of a 3D printing materialprinted by methods well known in the art. The 3D printing material isdescribed in greater detail below. Object 101 comprises a plurality ofraised artifacts 102 and raised lettering 103 against a flat surface104. Although diamond shaped artifacts 102 are shown, many differentartifacts in a variety of different shapes may be 3D printed. The raisedlettering 103 may be provided in a variety of different fonts and textconstraints, including but not limited to height, width, andorientation. The process of adding and printing the raised artifacts 102and raised lettering 103 is described in greater detail below.

Many different techniques of 3D printing are available, includingdifferent 3D printer models and different 3D printing materials. Forexample, a Z-Corp™ 3D printer may print an object, such as object 101,using a sandstone material. There are many disadvantages of a sandstone3D printed object, such as object strength and photo degradation.Specifically, a sandstone 3D printed object is very brittle and unableto withstand the stress of general use and everyday handling. Further, asandstone 3D printed object is subject to photo degradation when exposedto sunlight, causing the object's color and appearance to quickly fade.A MCOR™ 3D printer may print an object, such as object 101, using apaper material. Likewise, a paper 3D printed object has many similardisadvantages, including brittleness and being subject to damage duringthe stress, wear, and tear of everyday use and handling. A furtherlimitation for a paper or sandstone 3D printed object is the object'stexture. Specifically, the texture is limited to the texture of thematerial used. For instance, a sandstone 3D printed object, such asobject 101, will have a relatively rough, grainy surface texture.

In one embodiment the 3D printed object 101 will be printed from aprocess using UV-curable liquid polymers, printed perhaps on a PolyJet™3D printer. In this process an object is created one layer at a time bycuring layers of printed liquid polymers with a UV light source. 3Dobjects printed with UV-curable liquid polymers are more durable than 3Dobjects printed using a sandstone or paper material. Still, if morestrength or support is needed, the 3D printed object may be producedusing a 3D printing process known as selective laser sintering (SLS)using a powder resin material. However, much like the sandstone andpaper material, there is a limitation in the color and texture usingthis method. Painting, dyeing, and other known coloring techniques haveproven to be unsuccessful. Accordingly, the present inventor hasdiscovered and developed a method of printing a full-color overlay on 3Dprinted objects with an inkjet printer using UV-curable ink. Thefull-color overlay is cured using a UV light source creating astructural and chemical bond to a 3D object printed with UV-curablepolymer, which strengthens the 3D printed object while providing afull-color design. Conceivably, since the 3D printed object was firstprinted and cured with UV curable liquid polymers, a structural andchemical bond occurs when the UV printed ink overlay is printed andcured with a UV light source on the original 3D object. The details ofthis process are described in greater detail herein below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer network and software accordingto an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, thecomputer network 205 comprises general purpose computer 201 executingsoftware 203. The computer network 205 further comprises a 3D printer202 and an inkjet printer 204. The inkjet printer 204 is a UV inkjetprinter, capable of printing and curing UV curable inks. 3D objects,such as object 101 illustrated in FIG. 1, may be designed on computer201 by executing software 203. The software 203 may be any computeraided design (CAD) software known in the art that may be adapted tocreate files for running a 3D printer. After designed objects arecompleted, files may be derived from the software 203 capable of runningthe 3D printer, and separate files for running the inkjet printer, andsent to the 3D printer and/or the inkjet printer 204 for processing.This process is described in greater detail below.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating steps to create a 3D printedobject according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step 301a user logs in to a 3D design program provided by software 203, the usermay select an object for design. Software 203 accesses an object library303 of a variety of objects that may be selected. For example, theobject may be a nameplate, such as the object 101 illustrated in FIG. 1.Likewise, the object may be a back plate for a cellphone enclosure, orany number of objects that may be 3D printed, including but not limitedto a business card holder or plaque, and many other objects.

Next, in step 306 the user has access to tools to personalize thedesign. For instance, the user may add raised text using text tools 307,illustrated as raised lettering 103 in FIG. 1. The text tools 307include ability to change a variety of options, including but notlimited to size, font, and orientation. The size constraints include theheight of the text, which is the amount the text extends from theobject, as well as length and width. The orientation constraint includesthe ability to change the rotation of the text, such as orientating thetext at an angle in relation to the object.

The user may select, place, and add artifacts from a clip art library304. Examples of clip art include the diamond artifacts 102 illustratedin FIG. 1, as well as a variety of other symbols, shapes, and art. Theartifacts may be 2D clip art that is rendered in 3D space as a raisedobject, or a true 3D clip art, such as a face or sculpture.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the user may further personalize the objectby utilizing color tools 305 to add color to the design. Using colortools 305 the user may customize the color of any selected artifact,text, or object surface. Multiple colors may be provided creating afull-color design. Further, images may be added.

After completing the personalization of the design 306 the user may savea 3D printer file 308. Printer file 308 may be used to drive a 3Dprinter to produce a 3D printed object. For example, the printer file308 may be used to drive the 3D printer 202, as shown in FIG. 2, tocreate a 3D printed object 101, as illustrated in FIG. 1. It will beunderstood that many CAD file formats may be used in alternativeembodiments. Next the user may also derive and save a color overlayprinter file 309, which may be derived from the same design parametersthat produces the 3D printer file. Color overlay printer file 309 may beused to drive an inkjet printer, using UV-curable ink, and provide anoverlay for the 3D printed object. For example, the color overlayprinter file 309 may be used to drive the inkjet printer 204, as shownin FIG. 2. The color overlay printer file may be a Portable NetworkGraphics (PNG) file format, to prevent any data loss from filecompression. Other lossless data file formats may be used in alternateembodiments, including but not limited to TIFF, BMP, or JPEG-LS. In analternative embodiment, an independent texture file can be derived andsaved for processing and printing. It should be understood that thecolor overlay printer file may include the texture Likewise, whenreferencing color inkjet printing, texturing is implied.

FIG. 4 a is a perspective view of 3D printed object 101 of FIG. 1 . . .3D printed object 101 represents a 3D object printed from a 3D printerfile, such as 3D printer file 308 as shown in FIG. 3. In this example,the 3D printed object 101 is printed having no color, or limited to thecolor of the materials used in printing the object.

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of the 3D printed object 101 of FIG. 4 aafter a derived color overlay printer file is sent to an inkjet printer,in which object 101 may be mounted, to create a full-color overlay onthe 3D printed object 101, providing object 401. Specifically, thederived color overlay file, such as printer file 309 shown in FIG. 3, issent to an inkjet printer, such as inkjet printer 204 shown in FIG. 2.The inkjet printer prints the color overlay printer file on the surfaceof the 3D printed object 101 of FIG. 4 a, using UV-curable inks. Afterprinting, the full-color overlay is cured using a UV light sourcecreating a structural and chemical bond, which strengthens the 3Dprinted object while providing a full-color design.

As described above, a user may customize their object design usingcustomization tools shown in FIG. 3. A full-color overlay printed on the3D printed object 101 comprises diamond artifacts, such as diamondartifacts 102 shown in FIG. 1, printed with blue and silver highlightsin this example. Object 401 with color overlay further comprises theraised lettering printed with a plurality of colors or a single color.The overlay may include full-color personalized custom designs,including but not limited to, 2D text, backgrounds, and images. The 2Dtext may be added and printed to the flat surface of the 3D object.Similarly, different color backgrounds and pictures may be added andprinted to the flat surface of the 3D object. The color backgrounds andpictures may be printed in a variety of different designs, including butnot limited to a plurality of colors, a single color, or colorgradients.

FIG. 4 c is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 4 c-4 c ofFIG. 4 b which shows 3D printed object 101 with full-color overlay 402,providing object 401. As described above, the full-color overlay 402 isprinted with UV curable ink. Overlay 402 may change the texture andthickness of the original material, while strengthening and providing afull-color surface overlay as described for FIG. 4 b.

FIG. 5 is an architectural diagram of an Internet-connected systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.5, the Internet-connected system comprises an Internet server 501executing software 502. Server 501 is connected to a data repository503, which may be any sort of data storage known in the art. The systemfurther comprises a third party Internet server 504 connected toInternet backbone 505. Although one third party Internet server 504 isshown, it is understood that potentially millions of other similarservers are connected to the Internet 500 via Internet backbone 505.Through Internet server 501, a website is provided; wherein theoperating software 502 is accessible on the Internet. A number of users(1−n) 506 are connected to the Internet server 501 via an Internetservice provider (ISP) 507. This allows users 506 to access the websiteand corresponding operating software 502, which provides the designservice and steps illustrated in FIG. 3.

In this embodiment the software delivery model is software as a service(SAAS), wherein users 506 may access the website and correspondingoperating software 502, to create 3D printer files for a plurality of 3Dprinters that operate with a plurality of 3D print material.

Users 506 may be a variety of entities, including but not limited toindividuals, small businesses, or large businesses. Users 506 accessingsoftware 502 may also derive color overlay printer files for operationwith inkjet printers. Specifically, overlay printer files for UV inkjetprinters which can print and cure UV ink on 3D objects, as seen in FIGS.4 a-c, to provide all the advantages of UV printing on 3D objects asdiscussed herein.

In various embodiments of the invention 3D printed objects may haveengraving, depressions and holes as well as raised lettering andartifacts without departing from the scope of the invention. In manyembodiments 3D printed objects may also be other than flat-aspectobjects as shown in embodiments above, such as cylindrical, round andother shapes. UV printing equipment may be adapted to manipulate one orboth of print heads and fixtured objects to be printed so such objectsmay be efficiently coated in embodiments of the invention.

It will be apparent to the skilled person that there may be manyalterations in the embodiments described without departing from thescope of the invention. For example, although the embodiments describedabove include printing a 3D object using UV curable liquid polymers,other printed 3D object materials and printing applications may be usedbefore the UV inkjet printing process, while still providing theadvantages discussed herein, such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)thermoplastic and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) plastic or metal, aswell as the aforementioned sandstone and paper.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising steps: (a) printing a 3Dobject using a 3D printer, the 3D object comprising a surface having oneor both of one or more raised artifacts and one or more instances ofraised text; and (b) printing an overlay to the surface with a printerusing UV-curable ink and curing the ink with ultraviolet light,providing thereby one or more of increased strength, improved texture,and enhanced color effects or the 3D object.
 2. The method of claim 1wherein in step (a), the surface includes a plurality of raisedartifacts and a plurality of instances of raised text.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein in step (a), the 3D object is formed from anultraviolet-curable polymer, paper, or sandstone.
 4. The method of claim1 wherein in step (b), the overlay is printed using an inkjet printer,.5. The method of claim 4, wherein in step (b) color images are added tothe surface.
 6. The method of claim 1 further providing a step wherein afile for driving the 3D printer to produce the 3D object is created by auser through an interactive interface to a CAD program, and a file todrive the printer using UV-curable ink is derived from the first file.7. The method of claim 6 wherein the CAD program and interactiveinterface is provided through a web page.
 8. The method of claim 7wherein the CAD program provides access to libraries enabling users toselect 3D objects to print, clip art to be added to the 3D object, texttools to add text to the 3D object and color tools to add color andcolor images to the 3D object.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein theusers are enabled to download a first file to drive a 3D printer tocreate the 3D object, and a second file derived from the first file toprint the overlay on the printed 3D object.
 10. A system comprising: acomputerized appliance having a processor and coupled to a datarepository, the processor executing software from a non-transitorymedium, the software providing an interactive interface to a designprogram, the design program enabling a user to: select from storage anindividual one of a plurality of objects that may be printed on a 3Dprinter; select text to add to the 3D object and add the text to theobject; select artifacts to add to surfaces of the 3D object, and addthe artifacts to the object; enhance surfaces of the 3D object withcolor and images; create a first file to run a 3D printer to print the3D object; create a second file to run a printer with UV-curable ink tooverlay the 3D object with color and images; and download the two files.11. The system of claim 10 comprising a 3D printer and an inkjetprinter, wherein the user downloads the two files, sends the first to a3D printer creating the 3D object, mounts the created 3D object in thesecond printer, and sends the second file to the second printerproviding a UV-curable overlay to the 3D printed object, the overlayfile then cured by UV light, providing one or more of enhanced strength,enhanced texture, and color and images to the 3D object.
 12. The systemof claim 10 wherein the computerized appliance is an Internet-connectedappliance providing a web page enabling users to access and use thedesign program.